This invention relates generally to an embroidery machine and in particular to an embroidery sewing machine for cutting off spangles from a suitable strip of blanks and sewing the same on fabrics of various kind concurrently with the embroidery of such fabrics.
This type of embroidery sewing machine is described in a provisional Japanese publication No. Showa 61(1986)- 284287 which was invented by the same inventor. The machine has a shaft equipped with a pair of feeding devices each accommodating a partly shaped spangle strip therein and which is laterally slidable by means of a driving means. One of the spangle strip feeding devices is shifted into such a position relative to a needle and a cutting knife blade that one of the partly shaped spangle strips will be placed in a position with reference to the needle to be stitched to fabric being embroidered simultaneously as the cutting knife blade functions to cut along a joint of the partly finished spangle strip to free a single independent spangle to be stitched to the fabric in a proper position.
The type of embroidery sewing machine thus explained is designed to bring one of the partly shaped spangles to a cutting and a stiching position by shifting the shaft laterally together with the spangle strip feeding device.
However, to replace a fabric being embroidered positioned underneath the spangle strip feeding device, it is necessary to lift the feeding device to a predetermined raised position in order to provide ample space or room for the replacement of the fabric. In the conventional sewing machine thus explained a lifting means for the spangle feeding device is not provided. Therefore, to keep an ample space for replacement can not be achieved.
A lifting means for a spangle feeding device has also been invented by the same inventor and which is described in the Japanese provisional publication No. Showa 62 (1987)-181091 in which a shiftable frame accommodating only one spangle feeding device therein is shiftable up and down by means of a pair of lifting arms driven by a lifting mechanism whereby the spangle feeding device is lifted upward to provide an ample space or room for replacement of the fabrics.